Millions in Germany Froze to Save on Heating Costs

According to a survey, 1.8 million people (three percent) in Germany saved so much on heating costs last winter that they regularly froze. People with gas heating were particularly frequently affected, according to the Heidelberg-based comparison portal Verivox on Wednesday. A further 19 percent or 13 million adults lowered their comfort temperature “noticeably”.
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Last winter was significantly colder than the previous one. “Heating with gas was made even more expensive by the return to the full VAT rate on natural gas in April 2024,” explained Verivox energy expert Thorsten Storck. The price of CO2 also continued to rise at the beginning of the year. According to the survey, this led many people to turn down their heating and their homes were therefore often too cold.

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Renters generally have to accept the gas tariff set by their landlord. However, households with their own gas meter can also reduce heating costs by switching to a cheaper gas tariff. For example, a kilowatt-hour of gas currently costs around 14 cents/kWh on average nationwide under the local utility's expensive basic supply tariff. On the cheapest available gas tariff with a price guarantee, a kilowatt-hour of gas currently costs just under 10 cents. Anyone who heats a single-family home with 20,000 kWh of gas can save around €800 per year by switching.

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According to the data, 1007 people between the ages of 18 and 79 were surveyed. The survey is therefore representative of the population in terms of age, gender and federal state.